The present invention relates to a carrier for a dropload to be dropped from an aircraft. Such carriers are known in the art generally for the purpose of securing and releasing of droppable loads to or from an aircraft. Such loads may comprise weapons and/or supplies. Weapons droppable from an aircraft may comprise scattering weapon containers such as cluster bombs transport containers, flying bodies such as rockets, bombs and the like. According to the prior art it is generally not possible to further influence the descent of the dropped loads once the release or separation between the dropload and the aircraft has taken place. In order to control the descent of the dropload the carrier for the dropload must be equipped and/or constructed for such control purposes.
German Patent Publication (DE-OS) No. 2,740,318 and German Patent Publication (DE-OS) No. 2,758,231 disclose a carrier mechanism for droploads, whereby the carrier mechanism is permanently secured to an aircraft. This type of carrier, however, is not suitable for the descent control of the load.
German Patent Publication (DE-AS) No. 2,311,433 discloses an outboard container, the dimensions of which are variable. The container has a central portion which is suspended from an outboard carrier which in turn is rigidly connected to the aircraft.
German Patent Publication (DE-OS) No. 2,156,974 discloses a scattering weapons container equipped for an automatic control and provided with its own propulsion system. However, the container itself is separably secured to suspension eyes. These suspension eyes are not separable from the aircraft.
All of these prior art carrier systems in the form of release or launching devices, outboard carriers or suspension eyes secured to the aircraft body for the droploads have the common feature that they are a fixed component of the aircraft and cannot be separated from the aircraft when the aircraft is flying a mission.
It is a further common feature of these prior art structures that it is not possible to exert any kind of influence on the dropload after the dropload has been separated from the aircraft.